Changes Made
by surreptitiouspen
Summary: Exception proves the rule becomes Seto Kaiba's new curse, as his rule of control is challenged by the exception: Katsuya Jounouchi. Jou needs a tutor, and Kaiba needs the grade.JS?
1. The Verdict

Authoress here.

Ah. New fic. Someone beat me for starting this while I'm midway through another.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Personally, I wouldn't want to, not with this new Yu-Gi-Oh! GX crap they're dolling out now. Yeesh, poor creator-guy.

Consider yourself disclaimed.

Onto the chappie!

Changes Made  
Chapter One: **The Verdict

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Seto Kaiba was a creature of habit. His entire existence was made up of routine.

At four-thirty each morning, the seventeen-year old CEO would get up from the spacious, all-too-comfortable bed and dress in a nondescript tee shirt and sweatpants that had seen many better days. He was so used to this he no longer needed an alarm clock, though some cold mornings he played a game with himself, trying to fall back asleep under the warmth of the utilitarian comforter and crisp white sheets. But he always lost to instinct, getting up regardless of his own reluctance.

At four-forty-five, he was jogging on the treadmill two floors below his bedroom. After the treadmill, Seto began a rigorous exercise period that not only kept him from the danger of 'desk-chair-physique,' but also woke up his mind and body. A set of fifty push-ups, followed by fifty pull-ups, followed by the 12-pound dumbbell weights made up his work out.

At five-thirty-five, he went to the spacious shower off of the weight room and let cold water rinse off the sweat.

At five-forty, he was back up two floors, in his closet room. He never took long to choose an outfit; on weekdays, a school uniform. On weekends, he always dressed in one of the many identical suits he had tailored especially for work.

At six o' clock, he would wake up Mokuba. The young teen had not yet mastered his brother's self-discipline, and rarely responded to the giant Tortoro alarm clock that went off at the same time as Seto came to rouse him. In fact, Seto had also grown accustomed to shutting off the annoying thing that he barely noticed the action anymore.

At six-fifteen, Seto would find his laptop, and work on spreadsheets, business proposals, the various virtual world and the random video-game hero until Mokuba, sleepy-eyed and quiet, came down for breakfast. Seto had schooled Mokuba in the importance of large breakfasts; the pair always ate the most at that meal.

Finally, at seven-thirty, the chauffeur would take Seto and Mokuba to their respective schools. Seto was attending the high school for legal reasons only, as was Mokuba attending the junior-high. Having been home-schooled by the ambitious and harsh Gozoburo, Seto and Mokuba were far past their peers.

Yes, Seto was a creature of habit. Every morning, it was always the same routine. It was important, and Seto depended on life to happen according to schedule.

His life needed to be under his control. Every life-form in the CEO's scope was included in that need for control. The exception proves the rule, the old adage goes. And unfortunately for Seto Kaiba, the exception just had to be Katsuya Jounouchi.

_sc_

"Uh… You wanted t'see me?"

Katsuya Jounouchi fidgeted uneasily as the sensei teepeed his fingers, looking over his fingertips to observe the nervous teen in front of him. The sensei had the teacher expression down- just enough gravity to scare the shit out of any normal high schooler.

"Jounouchi-san."

"Yes… Sensei?" Jou cleared his throat, suddenly noticing how often he shifted from foot to foot. Gawd, that was annoying of him. He must look like some sort of drunken sailor, swaying back and forth. Or maybe more like a tree…

"Would you like to explain something for me?"

Jou didn't answer right away. He continued swaying on the spot, observing a spot on the wall blankly. He must look more like a tree, because drunken sailors had sea-legs, and therefore didn't sway. And, if a sailor where really drunk, he would be passed out and snoring, not swaying like… well, like a tree. In a proper wind, of course-

"Jounouchi-san, are you even listening?"

"H-Hai, Sensei." Jou quit swaying abruptly, then felt a small surge of dizziness pass over him quickly at the action. "What d'you need me to 'splain?"

The sensei smileda clearly strained smile, warmth never reaching his eyes. Wordlessly, as though he may say something he would later regret, he dropped a paper on his desk, in front of Jou. Written on the top was a large, angry red letter. Jou winced a little, and began his shifting again. Shit. This would not be pretty.

"Do you understand what this means, Jounouchi-san?"

"Hai, Sensei."

"Tell me what this means, Jounouchi-san."

"I-It means I've failed a test."

"It means you've failed a test… again." The sensei leaned back, massaging his temples as if he could ward off Jou's presence with the action. "Do you know what _that_ means, Jounouchi-san?"

Shit.

"H-Hai." Jou realized he was swaying again and promptly stopped. He nearly overbalanced, catching himself only just in time.

"Tell me what that means."

"That… That I can't pass this class?"

The sensei leaned forewords again, sighing. "Correct. And, in order to graduate and leave this school-" his tone suggested he would have rather have said _and leave me alone_- "you need to pass this class."

"H-Hai." The familiar feeling of dread Jou usually got when he stood in front of a sensei's desk settled into his stomach.

"Normally, I would just make you redo all the homework, and re-take the tests."

Shit.

"But you're lucky. Another student will be tutoring you."

The dread lifted and Jou almost let slip a tiny grin. Honda was great at this math stuff, he'd be a good choice for a tutor, and then Jou could pass and still have fun at the same time. Or Yuugi could teach him, aided by an ancient Pharaoh who lived in the age when math was born. Even Anzu, who had no head for complicated dueling, could explain an inverse polynomi-whatsit better than most.

"So, I'll arrange meetings with your tutor for each day after school for awhile, until you can pass a test."

Shit. The half-conscious word was like a mantra now.

"Uh, sensei?"

"What?"

"Who's th' tutor?"

The sensei gave an almost wicked smile and then opened his mouth. Before he could say anything, though, the door opened and the last person Joey wanted to see stalked (not strolled, not sauntered; _stalked_) into the office.

"You said you wanted to see me, sensei?" Seto Kaiba could make even the smallest of sentences drip with disdain. The way his azure eyes flashed, the tilt of his head, the whole stance of the CEO's body conveyed his utter distaste in being in the room. The sensei, however, seemed unperturbed.

"Yes, Kaiba-san." The sensei leaned back in his chair. "I asked you to speak with me in regards to the missing work."

"What?"

Jou could have cheered at the expression on Seto's face. A mix of anger, confusion, and boredom was written plainly on his mien, disproving Honda's theory that the teen had no feelings.

"The missing homework. You have failed to turn in a single assignment all year."

The wheels in Seto's head started turning furiously. Yes, he remembered the assignments being written on the blackboard. But why would he need to do practice work on things he already knew? In fact, there was no doubt in his mind that Seto could teach the course better than the sensei- except for his strong dislike for his classmates.

"So?"

The sensei almost snorted. "So? So, that means, Kaiba-san, you are failing this class."

It took every ounce of Jou's self-control not to burst out in guffaws. The great Rich Bitch (a pet name of Jou's creation, he was ridiculously proud of it) was _failing_ a class? A mathematics class, no less! It was all too rich.

"I can have the missing work into you by tomorrow morning." Seto informed the man tonelessly. "Will you be satisfied then?"

"I do not condone cramming, Kaiba-san." The sensei tapped his fingertips together. "But I do realize that you are smart enough to get exemplary grades in my class. So, I've decided you don't have to do the homework-"

Seto almost gave a smile and had turned to leave when the sensei continued.

"-But I do require you to tutor Jounouchi-san until he passes a test."

The angry sputtering of both teens didn't seem to bother the teacher in the slightest. He almost looked amused.

"Sensei, I can't meet with Ri- Kaiba every day after school! I hava job I gotta go to!" Jou looked desperately at the sensei, who regarded him levelly.

"And who is in control if you have a job or not?"

Jou opened his mouth angrily, and then shut it, looking at the floor. Seto stepped in, eyes flashing in the way that usually told employees of KaibaCorp to run, preferably screaming for mercy.

"Sensei, _I_ also have a job. I have a company to run. A company who has a rather _generous_ payment plan to this very school district, if I remember correctly." Seto's eyes narrowed, resembling less twin pools of blue and more dual flecks of flint.

The sensei held his gaze. "And I also believe the school has a partial say over _you_ running _your_ company. I believe when you registered here, you agreed that if you were ever to be failing a class, you would allow the school to dictate your work hours."

Seto mimicked Jou, opening his mouth to fire off a hot response before realizing he had none. Damn, he had to get this man on his staff sometime. He was good.

"However," the sensei leaned back, "I am willing to negotiate. If the two of you can work out some sort of schedule, and have Jounouchi-san passing his next test, I will give you, Kaiba-san, full credit, and you, Jounouchi-san, will be passing the class. Agreed?"

Without really any other choice, both teens mumbled a response and turned to leave. They weren't a foot out of the classroom when Seto found himself facing an angry Jou.

"Now, listen, rich-boy." Jou snapped. "You're not gonna mess this job up for me, 'kay?"

"Please," Seto scoffed. "What job of yours could compare to mine? I believe it'll be you not messing up _my_ job, Muttsy."

"Shut th' hell up, Kaiba." Jou spat the name out. "Just leave me alone and tell th' teach we got together an' I'll just study."

"I would accept such an offer, but I fear your studying would hardly merit a passing grade." Seto turned roughly away. He squeezed his eyes shut, counted to three (he was a very under-control person, no need to go all the way to ten) and faced the sandy-haired youth in front of him. If Jou had noticed anything strange, he made no outward sign of it.

"Fuck you."

"I'm sure you want to, but unfortunately I am way out of your league. In fact, my league is so high away from your league, that if your league blew up, I wouldn't hear it for three days." Seto lost his cool and let Jou have the onslaught. "So let's just pretend we can get along and get you to pass the next test, or drop out. Either way, I don't care."

Jou looked ready to hit him. Seto almost wished he would. What a nice excuse to fight back, slap the rosy cheek, and maybe punch that toned stomach-

One.

Two.

Three. Ah. Control was back.

"You're such an ass, Kaiba."

"And you're such an unoriginal when it comes to comebacks." Seto brushed past him breezily (or, as breezily as someone who stalked instead of strolled) and headed towards the limo waiting patiently outside of the school.

He waited before he was safely inside of the limo, with the glass divider up and windows firmly shut, before letting off a stream of cuss words that could make even the most hardened sailor faint. Tutoring the most aggravating human God ever had the gall to create might just be the death of him.

**End Chapter

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**

Authoress here. This entire story is dedicated to JewelValentine and LetheSeraph, the former for being in love with these sorts of fics and the latter who doesn't know who in a blue moon I am. But both are an inspiration, so there.

Leave me a note, it doesn't always take long!


	2. An Unusual Job

Authoress here.

Thanks for the good feedback y'all've been giving me. It makes an Authoress happyful.

Onto los Chappios!

**Changes Made  
Chapter Two: An Unusual Job**

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Jou barreled around the street corner, barely checking his speed to dodge a tiny old dear doing her window-shopping. This elicited a rather angry (and inappropriate, in Jou's opinion) response from the woman, and Jou chose to use the escaping part of 'fight or flight,' mainly in order to reach the fancy hair salon that was his destination.

He checked his pace to a dignified strut (much different than Seto's stalk) and went inside; trying to appear as if he had not just ran six blocks.

"Katsuya-kun, you're lucky this time." A warm female voice made the dirty-blonde look up with a wide grin. "You're a whole thirty-seconds' away from being late."

"Good afternoon t'you too, Natsunou-san." Jou flung back playfully at the pretty blonde behind the counter right inside the door. She rolled her eyes, and ran one perfectly manicured hand through the obviously unnatural blonde highlights.

"Katsuya, enough of you." She started a little as the phone rang next to her, and jerked with her free hand to the door behind the desk. "Go change. I'll start your timecard."

"Thanks, Natsunou." Jou gratefully slipped behind the counter as she answered the phone, straightening his own hair as he dodged into the backroom of the Biyou Spa.

It was a spacious, sparsely lit room, with two neat desks on one side, a coat rack in the back, a minifridge for employees, another door leading to a private toilet, and a large lavender screen that Jou started towards immediately.

Once behind it, Jou began to undress quickly, pulling the uniform jacket off over his head without bothering to undo the buttons first. Next item off was the undershirt, followed by the scratchy navy slacks. He stuffed the discarded garments into his backpack, bringing out a neat little garment bag. This he opened, drawing out the sole pair of designer jeans he owned, a freshly pressed black button-down dress-shirt, and lastly a tie that could only be described as 'funky;' a riot of subdued pastels weaving around in lazy patterns.

Jou wore the tie loose, liking the look of it better that way rather than the tie fastened all the way to the neck. He left his top buttons open, revealing the base of his throat and the top of his chest, a particularly efficient way of garnering tips from female (and sometimes, male) clients.

Jou turned to the little oval mirror that hung on the wall next to the screen. His hair, usually a hopeless tangled mop, became a stylish mess with the help of a thick mousse and a small comb. He grinned cockily at his reflection, checked his teeth, and hurried out of the room.

Natsunou turned around half-way in her chair as Jou left the backroom. She grinned appreciatively at Jou's tie, making him pause as she gave it an experimental tug.

"Nice, in a post-modern sort of way."

"I'll take tha' as a compliment, so, thanks."

Natsunou laughed, running her hand through her hair again. Jou watched the movement with a trace of amusement. Vain Natsunou was constantly concerned with her appearance, but then again, as a sort-of poster child for the spa, she ought to be. The first rule of cosmetology, as Jou had quickly learned, was _always_ look good yourself before working on someone else.

"First appointment's already in your chair. Your friend, I believe?"

"Oh, Anzu? Believe it or not, this po-mo tie is her doing. She bought it for me for my birthday." Jou tugged at it, an expression of mock distaste on his features. "Blame her and her weird taste."

Natsunou started giggling again, brushing her layered bangs off to one side. Jou gave her another grin before hurrying to his chair.

_This really is a dream job_, Jou thought. _Surrounded by beautiful women who give me money for touching their hair? A dream job, I'm tellin' ya.  
_  
And it was even sort of an accident he even had this job. Especially without a college degree in cosmetology; as the degree was a prerequisite for most employees. His aunt used to own the business, before she got pregnant. Then she had sold it to the current owner, but not before Jou had a small job sweeping hair after close. The new owner allowed him to stay, and all throughout junior high Jou had swept the store clean to help pay for his Duel Monsters addiction, among other things.

He couldn't help but pick up things from years of watching other stylists, and when he finally got the nerve to ask to do a haircut, the owner had given him a trial run. Where he was second-best in dueling, he was a natural in the field of hair styling. The owner had been impressed, and Jou had gotten an above-minimum wage paycheck, the first of many.

Technically, he was still on that trial run, but had been a stylist with his own chair station for about two years. He had several loyal clients, one of which being Anzu, who sat in the plushy leather salon chair waiting for him to arrive.

"Jounouchi!" Anzu leapt up to hug him as if she hadn't just seen him in the class preceding the end of the school day. Jou hugged her back, careful to not crease his shirt, smiling inwardly at Anzu's touchy-feely habits. Now if only Yuugi, or more specifically, Yami, would notice…

"Afternoon, Anzu." Jou greeted, pulling a drawer open from his small vanity desk with a flourish. He got out a large hair-cuttingbib, which he fastened around Anzu's neck. "How'd y'last class go?"

She made a face. "Horrible. If I hear the words 'birth-control' one more time I swear I'll scream."

"Oh, right, you've got health, don'tchya?"

"Yes, and what's worse, Yuugi's in that class with me!" Anzu bemoaned her bad luck, blushing slightly. Jou grinned as he led her to a different chair, preparing to wash and condition her hair.

"Know what the good thing 'bout that is?"

"There _isn't_ anything good about learning to 'abstain from a sexual lifestyle' with Yuugi in the same class." Anzu grumbled, leaning her head back over the marble sink behind her chair. Jou turned the taps on, expertly finding a perfect blend of hot and cold. He selected a shampoo for Anzu's hair-type (thick and stubborn) and gently massaged it into her scalp.

"Well, when you gotta practice th' CPR thing, you can partner up with Yuug and give him rescue breaths." Jou grinned as Anzu's blush deepened to the color usually associated with stoplights. He rinsed her hair as she stuttered out half-baked protests to his suggestion before leading her back to his styling chair.

"So, what look this time?" Jou looked at Anzu critically in the mirror, running practiced fingers through her short locks.

"Make me look sexy." Anzu announced after a short pause. "And I mean fog-horn obvious."

"D'you mind if I accidentally slip in highlights?" Jou chuckled at Anzu's blatant statement. Anzu smiled slyly, pantomiming pulling a zipper across her lips, silently promising not to tell about the unpaid-for hair color. Jou nodded, rolling his eyes. "'Kay then, Anzu. Fog-horn it is."

As he got to work, Anzu asked Jou the same question he asked of her. "How was _your_ last class? Pre-calculus, right?"

Jou grimaced. "Damn it, ya made me remember."

"Remember what? Asymptotes? Because I believe that's the point of having the class, remembering what they teach you…"

Jou shook his head, fishing in another drawer for the dye mix that would best flatter the fair-skinned Anzu. "Nah. Didn't want t'remember asymptotes either, but this is worse."

Anzu giggled a little. "What's worse than asymptotes?"

"Seto fricken' Kaiba as a math tutor."

Anzu's eyes widened a little. "Ooh, who's the unlucky victim?"

Jou shook his head, selecting sections of her hair to color, and wrapping them after he did in tinfoil. Anzu could be _so_ ditzy sometimes. "I'm the unfortunate bastard. I did another screw-up on the last test, an' the sensei's givin' me this one last chance to pass th' class. And Rich Bitch hasn't _bothered_ himself to do something so civilian-like as homework, so the sensei's failin' him too. And how's Kaiba getting' the passin' grade?"

Anzu looked at Jou in the mirror, eyes full of sympathy. "Teaching you?"

"Teachin' me. Or at least 'till I pass a test." Jou affirmed, folding up the final colored section of Anzu's hair in its tinfoil wrap. "And t'hell with it, I say. I'd rather fail."

"Jounouchi!" Anzu said reprovingly. "Fail and have to take the final year of high school again? What would your father-"

She broke off quickly, as if burned by her own words. Jou just shrugged at her and gave a half-smile, but didn't pursue that particular strain of the subject. "Anyways, I ain't gonna fail nothin'. I'll just study extra hard so I don't gotta spend anymore time with the Rich Bitch than I gotta."

"Good plan, Jou."

"Thanks. Now, you just marinate for awhile with that color dye, an' take a mag." Jou handed her a teenage-girl type of magazine before pulling up a stool next to her. "I'm gonna enjoy the scenery."

Anzu wryly followed Jou's rapt gaze to see a beautiful woman expertly trimming the long, glossy hair of another equally good-looking woman. "Oh, Jou, anyone who wouldn't know you and your hormones would think you're homosexual, working in a place like this."

Jou winked at his friend. "Yeah, an' those idiots don't know what a great view it is in here."

_Yeah, people would think I'm gay_, Jou thought, watching the pretty stylist laugh at something her customer had said. _Like that damn Kaiba. Like I'd even wanna… do him. _Jou scowled at the memory of Kaiba's flippant statement.

**"_I'm sure you'd like to fuck me, but I'm out of your league. In fact, my league is so high above yours, if your league exploded, I wouldn't hear it for three days."_**

_Meh. Cocky bastard. Even though he's the prettiest guy I know, he don't got no right to go around assuming I'd like a piece of _his_ ass…._

Realizing his own thoughts, Jou shook himself mentally. But not before he pictured Kaiba's imposing figure; complete with trench coat, tight-fitting turtle-necks, and a pair of flashing sea-blue eyes that could pierce anyone's soul…

_An' his stupid-ass comments that are just so… so… stupid. _Jou thought sourly. _If he knew I worked here, I'd be in deep trouble. I'd never hear th' end of it…._

Unbidden, the mental image of a curiously shirtless Kaiba with a horsewhip entered his mind. He himself was also in the image, kneeling pathetically while Kaiba laughed insanely above him, waving the horsewhip around.

_Yeesh, I been watchin' too many horror flicks._ Jou passed a hand over his face, banishing the burning blush that accompanied the disgusting image. _Or too many twisted pornos. Either way._

"Okay, Anzu," Jou broke himself from his revere. "Time for a cut that'll drop Yuugi dead in his tracks!"

**End Chapter

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Authoress here.

And reminding you it's rated 'T' for a reason. NO, NO LEMONS HERE. Just language. And Jou's in-the-gutter mind. And all of this for Jewel, because pre-calc IS horrible, whereas Seto-with-horsewhip ish gooooood... for her. And you. Maybe. Tell me about it in a... review, perhaps?

And don't waste my time with flames. Although you may believe I deserve them, well, why waste YOUR time on a story you think so badly of?

The logic is there, people.

Review on, Garth.  
(Cookies to anyone who isn't confused by above sentence.)


	3. Rainy Day Session

Authoress here.

I really should NOT be here, though. I have Pre-Calc (hiss) to finish, and the logarithms are flying over my head so fast they're breaking the sound barrier.

But this story has been gamboling around my brain for the last couple of days, and even though this means again neglecting my Hana-Kimi story (and my homework), I'm on board with another chapter.

**Changes Made  
Chapter Three:** **Rainy Day Session

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**

"No _way_ am I letting you sit there and do nothing!" Jou glared hotly at the teen sitting across the isle from him. Seto barely looked up from his laptop screen, crossing his long legs absently.

"Oh really." Seto continued to type quickly, eyes darting across his screen as figures and statistics rolled past.

Jou bit his lip to stop himself from picking up his textbook and chucking it at Seto's head. "Yeah, really. I took off of work t'come here and do this stupid stuff, and if I'm workin', you sure as hell are workin' too!"

Seto glanced up briefly. "You said yourself you would study hard and just _pretend_ we met. So study hard already, Mutt."

"You're such an ass."

"Noted." Seto looked up again, sighing as if he could hardly believe Jou had the gall to bother him so much. "Look, I don't want to be here either. If Sensei Fusuko hadn't cornered me after class, I _wouldn't_ be here. But that doesn't mean I'm going to teach you. All I have to do is be here, and I get my credit."

"If you fricken' help me, then we're done sooner." Jou growled. "As much I hate your fricken' guts, I'm big enough t'admit you got a brain."

"Oh, how noble."

"Shut up, will ya?" Jou scowled down at the open textbook. "I got t'get t'work in an hour and a half. Just explain this shit, an' then we're done. An hour tops."

"For today, at least," Seto gently shut his laptop before getting up from his desk in a very business-like manner. "Fine. But _only_ an hour."

"Fine." Jou nodded curtly, wondering if he should have simply left Kaiba sit and work through the math himself. But the other teen had smoothly seated himself next to Jou, and had seized the textbook.

"This? This is easy." Seto stared at the page, skimming the problems. "What don't you get?"

"Everything." Jou sat back in his chair, suddenly noticing a small pattering sound on the roof. A glance out the window confirmed his worst suspicion; it had started to rain. He suppressed a groan. If he came to work wet, he could forget looking nice enough to get decent tips.

"Oh, thanks, that narrowed it down immensely." Seto's eyes narrowed as he returned his glare to Jou's face. "Then we'll start from the beginning."

It was almost forty-five minutes later when the classroom door slid open. Anzu and Honda, coming by with the intent of taking Jou to work because of the rain, stopped dead in their tracks at the sight that greeted them.

The room, being close to the boilerroom, always got uncomfortably warm, thus explaining Jou and Seto's removal of their school blazers. They were left in only the school uniform white undershirts. Jou had even gone so far as to undo the first three or four buttons, and Seto had rolled up his sleeves.

Jou was leaning over the desk, scribbling furiously. Seto had put his lanky legs up casually on the desk-chair behind his seat and was leaning back on his desktop, watching Jou's progress intently. His hair had become mussed, probably from running his fingers through it in frustration or out of habit.

But the thing that caught and held the intruders' attention the most was the close proximity of the two self-proclaimed arch-rivals (well, perhaps Seto was Jou's arch-rival, and not the reverse). As Jou looked up from the problem with obvious triumph, his face was less than a foot away from Seto's. And then as Seto reached one arm to turn Jou's paper towards him he leaned foreword to inspect it, making the distance even smaller between them.

Anzu was the first to break the silence. "Hey, Jou! Honda and I came to get you to work!"

Her overly-bright voice caused both Jou and Seto to jump, sending textbook and notepaper flying.

"Anzu, you fricken' scared me!" Jou gasped out, beating his hand against his chest to slow his speeding heart. He looked up, and grinned. Anzu caught his look and smiled as well, knowing the reason why.

Her hair, usually straight and somewhat lacking in body, was a now textured, wavy bob cut to accentuate her flattering features. As well as the new style, she sported dramatic brunette and red high and lowlights that gave her even more allure than the new cut. The hair-change had had the desired effect on Yuugi; he almost walked into a wall when he saw Anzu.

"Thanks, guys, you're lifesavers." Jou stretched his arms above his head, wincing as the knots in his shoulders worked themselves out. "Whaddya say, Kaiba, we pick it up later?"

Seto got up so fast he almost overbalanced. "Yes. We'll speak of the next time tomorrow."

"Sure. Later." Jou gathered up his things with his usual haphazard style and shoved the lot into his bag before following Honda and Anzu out of the room.

Seto watched him leave, still standing. Once he could no longer hear the retreating footsteps, he sank back into his desk, running a hand through his hair absently.

_Damn, it's hot in here._

_sc_

Jou, Anzu, and Honda piled into a small car, borrowed by Honda from his mother. At times like these, the motorbike couldn't transport the desired amount of passengers. Once on the road, Honda looked at Jou in the rearview mirror, smirking.

"Well, that was cute."

His comment earned him a smack to the back of the head.

"Hey, no abusing the driver!" Honda protested, but Jou merely scowled at him. "Anyway, it's weird he actually agreed to help you."

"He didn't agree, he was forced t'help me." Jou said shortly. "And call that asshole and me 'cute; one more time and I'll do more than abuse the driver."

"Ooh, I'm quiverin', man." Honda grinned toothily at his best friend. Anzu sighed and beat Jou to the punch, rather literally, by smacking Honda's head again.

"Lay off, will you?" Anzu said curtly. "It's not his fault he got stuck with Kaiba as a tutor."

"Listen t'the girl, Honda, she says smart things."

"It's more than I can say for you, Jou!" Honda ducked as Jou's hand came flying at his head. "Just jokin, man, don't get your undies in a bunch!"

"Quit with the undies comments, you sicko." Jou sat back, sighing.

It really hadn't gone as horribly as he had imagined. Seto had explained everything quite patiently and thoroughly, probably due to working with game designers and the like. Slowly, the strange symbols and letters started to come together to make understandable formulas, and it wasn't too long before Jou could solve the problems without Seto's guidance. Seto had acted quite human, and after awhile Jou had forgotten how much he disliked the CEO.

Honda pulled up to the curb in front of the salon. Jou checked the car's clock, noting with delight he had almost a full half-hour to make himself look presentable. "Thanks, man. See ya, Anzu."

"No sweat, Jou." Honda winked at his friend before adding, "I'm like a limo service, kinda like what your pal Kaiba's got!"

Jou slammed the door extra-hard, suppressing Honda's yelp of pain as Anzu swatted at him again. He wasted no time in the rain, running to the salon's door and darting inside.

Natsunou greeted him with surprise, having rarely seen him so early to work. He just gave her a smile before going into the backroom to change.

As he worked a thin layer of gel into his blonde hair, Jou contemplated the differences he had seen in the CEO. He was fiercely cold during duels, aggravatingly snide in conversation, and patient and supportive in teaching. Jou wouldn't have guessed that Seto would be that multi-faceted.

Honda had sworn for awhile that the teen was merely a super-intelligent robot, programmed to make people miserable, and Jou had been inclined to agree. But this Seto, the one who hadn't said a single derogatory comment while Jou sweated over difficult problems, was brand-new and a little disconcerting. Jou didn't quite know how to react.

_Don't think too hard._ Jou thought to his reflection sternly. _Thinking about a prick like Kaiba is a waste of time._

Only now he wasn't so sure.

Dismissing the thoughts of the CEO from his mind, Jou headed out to greet his first customer.

**End Chapter

* * *

**

Authoress here.

Huh, this chapter only took me an hour to write. That's really good for me. Hope it isn't crap…I mean, I wrote it trés fast, so one never knows… Geeze, I need a beta.

Review, please!


	4. No Place Like Home

Authoress here.

… I hate it when I can't think of anything witty to say before starting a chapter. Meh. Onto the chappie, then.

**Changes Made  
Chapter Four: No Place Like Home**

* * *

_One Week Later_

The rain hadn't abated in nearly a week, varying only in strength. Jou was lucky that it had slowed to a slow drizzle; he had to walk home from work, and had forgotten his umbrella.

Even though the wet made him feel a little uncomfortable, Jou was glad of the solitude. Everyone else was either inside or going their own ways inside cars. He had the sidewalk to himself.

His pocket felt nice and full; even though Jou only had two customers today, they both had tipped handsomely. He was lucky that he could work his clients in around his new school schedule. With Kaiba's tutoring, he had been spending at least a half hour every day after regular classes.

Today, a phenomenon had occurred. Kaiba had… _laughed._ Not scathing and disdainful, but a full, happy-sounding outburst which had proven infectious. Jou had started laughing too, and the pair had spent maybe five minutes getting themselves back under control to continue working.

Jou frowned at the cracked pavement. The joke he had told was _stupid._ He didn't even remember what spurred him into telling it. But after the punch-line, Kaiba had just cracked up.

Seeing the CEO laugh was a different experience, for sure. All of the stern lines had vanished from his face, making him look almost like a child. When he laughed, nearly every one of his teeth were shown, each one as white and straight as its fellows. His eyes closed, and the laughter shook his entire body. Jou had seen a side of the other teen that, Jou guessed, very few people had ever seen.

He sidestepped a puddle forming at the bottom of a gutter pipe, squinting up at the dull clouds. Where seeing Kaiba laughing like a normal person was disconcerting, even more so was the fact that Jou wanted to make him laugh again. After they had regained control and settled down to the math again, Jou had to fight the urge to embark on a stand-up routine. He felt like he was willing to do just about anything to watch that perfect, happy smile remerge.

But he had ignored the feeling, and when he and Kaiba left the school shortly after, he didn't even say goodbye.

His mindless footsteps had taken him out of the good side of town. Now, instead of expensive shops and grand apartment buildings, Jou was surrounded by small mom 'n' pop stores, and small, dirty compounds. A few people now dotted the sidewalk, and cars became less frequent.

"Jou, Jou, our ball got stucked ina fire ladder, Jou, Mamma's gonna kill us if we lose it!" A small child came shooting out of an ally way, face dirty and both knees scabbed over from a recent fall.

"Echi, didn't y'mama tell ya t'play in the park instead of t'allies?" Jou knelt to tweak the small boy's nose.

Echi looked at the ground, tears building up in his eyes. "Yessir, she did, but she said we hadta stay inside 'cause of t'rain."

"But… Echi, you're outside."

"Me and Saske came out t'play catch, 'cause it drizzlen' now." The tears had begun to fall in earnest now, making clean trails down the dirty cheeks.

Jou sighed, shrugging off his shoulder bag. "Hold this, Echi."

"'Kay."

Jou started jogging down the ally, seeing a faded orange ball resting innocently on the platform two stories up a raised fire escape ladder. He quickened his pace, until he was running as fast as he could. Jumping on top of an old crate, Jou vaulted off and caught hold of the bottom rung of the ladder. Using his body weight to tug it down, Jou release the ladder once his feet touched the pavement again. He hurried up the ladder, and tossed the ball back down to Echi. Clambering back down, he shoved the ladder back into its original position.

"Now get inside, Echi. Where's Saske?"

"Went home after t'ball got stucked."

"It's 'stuck,' kid, not 'stucked,' an' hurry up an' go home."

"Thanks, Jou." The child took off back down the ally after handing Jou's shoulder bag back. Grinning slightly, Jou retraced his steps back to the sidewalk and continued his path.

The rain was picking up again, making Jou hurry. He turned down a small side street, glad of the criss-crossing overhangs from people's porches. Finally, hurrying up a cracked set of steps, Jou fumbled for his key. Inserting it into the lock, he went inside the run-down apartment building he called home.

He heard his father before he had even climbed the stairs to their floor. The piano rang out in a peaceful, calm melody that rang gently throughout the building. Worry filled Jou's face, and he raced upstairs.

"Dad? Dad, I'm home."

The piano stopped abruptly as Jou pulled the door open. There was his father, sitting at the piano, surrounded by heaps of dusty sheet music.

"Why were y'playin' that song, Dad?" Jou dumped his bag by the door and went to sit next to his father.

"Just thinking about your sister and your mother, Son."

Jou had always loved his father's voice. Once a nightclub musician, Kanso Jounouchi had a low smoky voice that once made him the toast of the city's nightlife. He was a terrific pianist, a gift that wasn't passed down to his children.

But Kanso had started a habit in those nightclubs that eventually became his downfall; drugs. Addiction followed the casual high every now and then, and after a few months of failed help meetings and quit plans, his wife Miyaso Jounouchi had taken Jou and his little sister Serenity away and had filed for divorce.

Shortly after his wife and kids left, Kanso got into his car to go to a gig, already high. He had turned the wrong way down a one way street, and had barreled head-on into an oncoming truck. After a short period of hospitalization, Kanso was sent home. He had a huge fine for driving while under the influence, a large medical bill, and was blinded in both eyes from the car crash.

That was when Jou came to live with him. Kanso couldn't afford an assisted living caretaker, and the thirteen-year-old Jou had volunteered to live with his father and care for him. Times were very tough, and in addition to school and looking after his recovering-addict father, Jou got his first job of sweeping up the hair cuttings at his aunt's business.

"How was your day, Dad?"

Kanso sighed, fumbling to find the piano's lid. "Long."

"Sorry t'hear that, Dad. I got good tips, though, so whaddya think abo' takeout tonight?"

Kanso smiled. "I'd like that very much, Son."

"Cool. Here, let's get you to th' kitchen, and I'll call in th' order." Jou helped Kanso stand, and maneuvered his father around the stacks of sheet music. "Dad, when are y'gonna let me get rid o'all the music around here? Y'know it all by memory."

"No, Katsuya." Kanso's voice was suddenly stern. "I promised Serenity I'd teach her to play one day. You know the offer still stands for you, too."

"Nah, music ain't my ting." Jou pulled out a chair and guided his father to it. "I'm more of a duelin', hair-cuttin' kinda guy."

As he left his father to go find the phone, Jou sighed, massaging his temples. The song Kanso had been playing was the one he had written when Serenity was born. He used to play it for her when both mother and daughter had still lived with them, but now that they were gone, Kanso only played it when he was missing them both very much.

_At KaibaCorp's main conference room_

"-And statistically we have seen a four-percent rise in KaibaCorp stock bought by buyers under twenty-one in the time periods after both dueling tournaments, and also a forty-five percent rise in figurehead popularity since Battle City. Now what the board would like to suggest is a new add campaign, featuring-"

Seto took a deep pull from his water glass, determined to stay focused on what his senior advisor was saying. But with the man's monotone voice and dull conversational skills, the teenage CEO was finding concentration difficult. In his attempt to stay awake, Seto missed the man's next sentence.

"I apologize, I didn't hear the last bit."

The senior advisor stopped, and with a noise like an old vacuum, cleared his throat. "I said, Kaiba-san, that we launch an add campaign showing you dueling with the new system. With your approval rating on the rise, it would be a good idea for both the new product and the company's image."

Seto waved a hand dismissively. "Sounds fine. Make it happen."

"Sir, there are a few more small appearance issues that your head of advertising suggested." The senior advisor went on.

"And?" Seto drummed his fingers on the conference table.

"With your consent, she suggested a new haircut. Something a little less severe, a little more now-a-day teenager. Just for the add campaign."

"What?"

"We have an appointment set up for next Tuesday, at a very well-recommended spa with one of their more talented stylists. My own wife is a loyal customer of his, and if you were to agree to this, we could have the filming done by next Saturday, and airing on national television by the following Thursday."

Seto barely suppressed his groan. "Fine."

**End Chapter

* * *

**

Authoress here.

We all know where this is going, don't we? (wicked grin)

Happy New Year!

Out on me Broom 'o' Doom, retaken from LadyKatsu.


	5. Great Expectations

Authoress here.

I have no life without school. This I have decided. Man oh MAN do I have no life. The second chapter of _Changes Made_ in two days, presented for your enjoyment, follows this brief message.

Jewel, darling, I shall not take off the 'damn question mark.' Do we know that Jou and Seto will get together in the end?

No. We do not. The question mark provides intrigue, no?

And, no, I do not own Great Expectations, which is the chapter title of tonight's chapter. Unfortunately, it belongs to a great dead writer. Or, if I did own it, I'd be so rich I wouldn't know what to do with myself. And seeing that I am exceedingly poor, we must conclude that I do not own that book. Thank you.

Onto the chappie.

**Changes Made  
Chapter Five: Great Expectations**

**

* * *

**

_Jou, do you mind if we do not meet tonight?_

Scratch, scratch. Crease, fold, and throw.

_Sure. Was going to ask same thing. Have appointment at work. You?_

Fold, and throw.

Scratch, scratch. Crease, fold, and throw.

_Me too, appt. for work. Tomorrow?_

Fold, and throw.

Scratch. Crease, fold and throw.

_OK._

Anzu leaned over to Honda, nudging him from his lecture-induced torpor. "Honda. _Honda!"_

"What?"

"I think Jou and Kaiba were just passing notes."

"What?-!"

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Anzu glanced at the back of Jou's sandy-blonde head. "Do you think he's been acting weirdly lately?"

"Yeah, but he's Jou, I get worried if he ain't acting weird."

"No, different-from-the-normal-Jou-weird weird."

"Anzu, _you're_ acting weird right now."

Anzu rolled her eyes, dragging a hand through her hair. "Honda, I'm serious. I haven't heard him crack one joke at Kaiba's expense since they've started those tutoring sessions."

"Maybe they've buried the hatchet."

"_Jou, _bury the hatchetwith_ Kaiba?-!_ Honda, are you _insane?-!"_

Honda shrugged. "It's not totally impossible. Who knows, Kaiba might be some really nice guy deep down. Granted, you'd probably have to search for a few hundred years to get that deep down, but you know Jou; everybody likes him. Maybe Kaiba opened up to him."

"Kaiba has never liked Jou."

"Anzu, settle down. You're being paranoid. Jou says he's feeling better about math, meaning he'll pass his next test, and then we'll all be back to normal." Honda closed his eyes again, settling back to his nap.

"Fine, fine." Anzu sighed. She kept her eyes on Jou all the same. He was doodling on his paper, a glazed look over his face. Pretty normal, especially for the class they were in.

So instead Anzu studied Kaiba. He was writing, on actual paper (laptop being banned by most of the teachers) and his thick hair covered his eyes from Anzu's vantage point. He looked unchanged; as dark and foreboding as always.

So perhaps, Anzu pondered, the change was completely internal… and completely between the two, and them alone.

_Shortly after school_

Jou breezed into work after exchanging brief hellos with Natsunou, heading for the backroom. He was feeling particularly excited about the client he was to work with; Natsunou hadn't said much except that the client was referred to him by a regular, and that the client was someone famous.

Jou had splurged and had purchased a new tie, one he thought screamed 'professional hair stylist.' It was a deep green, with irregular lines of a very unobtrusive orange color, as well as flecks of peacock blue. All colors extenuated the natural shades in Jou's hair and skin, and it looked very suave against his black dress shirt. The formality was toned down by the jeans and black dress shoes.

_This famous chick won't hardly be able t' keep her hands offa me,_ Jou grinned at his reflection after he had re-done his hair. He checked his teeth, and slipped a breath mint onto his tongue. The tip was going to be amazing, but the most exciting notion was having this famous woman become a regular of his!

_I'll just do my absolute best,_ Jou promised his reflected face. _And according t' popular vote, that's pretty damn good._

sc

The limo pulled smoothly up to the curb, and before the driver could hurry around to the passenger door, Seto had already opened it and exited.

"This is the salon?" Seto held the door open for his head of advertising. She scrambled out awkwardly in the suit skirt she wore, pulling out an umbrella for the light shower that still fell.

"This is it." She affirmed. "Now, we're already late to your appointment, and I want to talk to the stylist beforehand, too."

Seto stalked inside, immediately removing his trench coat. It wasn't a light jacket, and with the added weight of the fallen rain, it was almost uncomfortable. As he made to hang it up on the coat-rack by the counter, he felt strangely out of place in the fancy parlor.

It positively reeked of expensive hair product, and one wall was taken over by a long, gold-framed mirror. There were straight-backed chairs in the reception area, each one upholstered in a dreamy pink fabric, appliquéd with dusty-red roses. Vases of real-life roses adorned most flat surfaces, and on the pale gold walls, hung in ornate gilded frames, were large photos of men and women with stylish haircuts.

"Hatsume-san, are you sure this is a place to get an everyday-teen haircut?" Seto eyed a bottle of sample perfume on the counter in front of him.

"I was assured that the stylist was competent in the look we're going for."

"Remind me what look that is?"

Hatsume fiddled with the strap of her purse. "We were angling for a combination of star-athlete and sex-god."

"What?" Seto turned to face his guilty-looking advertising head. "All I was told was something 'less severe,' I believe it was."

"Well… we want to appeal to a wide variety of people, and my department feels confident that-"

Her explanation was cut off as a young, platinum-blonde woman hurried out of the door behind the reception desk. "Oh, you must be Kaiba-san, for two-thirty."

"Yes." Seto said smoothly. "I apologize if my tardiness has unconvinced the stylist's schedule."

The receptionist smiled brightly. "No problem, Kaiba-san. There's plenty of time between your appointment and the next Katsuya-san has scheduled."

The name Katsuya struck a chord in Seto's mind, but he brushed it aside. "Hatsume-san, I believe you wished to speak to the stylist before we got underway, correct?" He glanced at the nametag pinned to the receptionist's blouse. "Natsunou-san, where can we find the stylist?"

"He's got the second chair just around the corner, Kaiba-san."

Seto began to walk in the direction the receptionist pointed him in, but stopped as Hatsume spoke up.

"Pardon me, but is there a more private area in which we could have Kaiba-san's hair done?"

Natsunou smiled. "Of course. We already have set up a screen around Katsuya-san's chair. If any guest should bother you, we shall make further arrangements for privacy."

"Thank you." Hatsume hurried after Seto, who was rounding the corner quickly. Looking down briefly to adjust her purse-latch, she walked into Seto's back. He had stopped abruptly, and Hatsume peered around him to find the source of his astonishment.

Standing beside a gold-lavender screen was an attractive young man with sandy blonde hair, artfully messy and yet stylishly pleasing. He had a lean, strong frame, and his handsome face mirrored the shock on Seto's.

"Do…you know him?" Hatsume asked timidly. Seto sent her a startled look, as if he only just remembered she was there. He quickly regained his ice-like composure, brushing off her question.

"Hatsume-san, I believe you said you wished to speak with him before we began." Seto gave her a meaningful look when she didn't respond at first.

"Oh, right." Hatsume hurried foreword, shaking hands with the young man. "I am Hatsume Subutsu, Director of Advertising at KaibaCorp."

Jou didn't miss a beat, however unnerved by seeing Seto. He took her hand and actually brought it to his lips briefly. "Katsuya Jounouchi, Subutsu-san."

Seto was almost more surprised when his normally strictly-business employee giggled and _blushed._ "Oh please, Jounouchi-san, call me Hatsume."

Jou gave a half-smile, something Seto had come to associate with him after the tutoring sessions. "Thank you, Hatsume. Now, what is it that you wanted t' tell me?"

As Hatsume described the look she wanted for Seto, the CEO watched Jou carefully. Seto had noticed how his accent was nearly undetectable when he had addressed Hatsume, and he had noticed how sharp Jou looked. The teen actually looked like an artist for the socialite; someone who had as much class as the people he worked on.

His scrutiny was interrupted as Hatsume turned back to him. "Kaiba-san, I'll be in the reception area. Page me if you need anything."

Jou watched her walk away with a trace of amusement in his caramel-colored eyes. "She's charmen.'"

Seto felt a sudden urge to retort _Not as charming as you come off as_ but stayed his tongue. He thought that provoking someone who was about to cut your hair was a rather foolish thing to do. "Let's get to it." He sat in the salon chair, distinctly uncomfortable.

Jou got out one of the hair salon bibs, and fastened it around the CEO's neck. His knuckle brushed the back of Seto's neck accidentally, and Jou waited for a reprimand. He continued when none came.

"C'mon, let's get you washed up."

Seto followed Jou wordlessly to the sinks, sitting down and leaning his head back. Jou turned on the taps, and gently massaged Seto's scalp, making sure to get all of his hair thoroughly wet. He was secretly delighted with the chance to see the strong CEO so vulnerable, but a strange sensation was slowly building in his lower stomach that made him more uncomfortable than amused. The feeling intensified as he worked shampoo into the thick hair and rinsed it.

They didn't talk until Seto was seated in the salon chair again, privacy screen covering them both from outside view. Then Seto's eyes found Jou's in the mirror.

"Tell me what you're going to do to my head."

_He's just a regular customer,_ Jou told himself firmly. _Keep it professional. Right._ The feelingin his stomach protested; something squirmed and writhed. Jou banished the feeling as best he could, reciting his procedure.

"Well, from wha' your friend said, it should be sexy, but strong. So I thought I'd thin it out a bit on top, an' then I'm gonna add some real subtle highlights, finishing with a trim that'll look real masculine when it's done."

"Highlights? You're going to put _blonde_ in my hair?-!"

"Naw, not blonde. A warmer tone den what's in your hair already, just a real soft reddish-walnut. You'll hardly even notice it, promise."

Slightly mollified, Seto studied Jou in the mirror. The accent was back, he noted, and Jou seemed to have gotten over his previous shock of seeing him as a customer. _But why is Jou working here? He's never mentioned cosmetology before… only that he _has_ a job._

Jou was busying himself mixing up the afore-mentioned color, heart hammering. Only Honda, Anzu, Yuugi and his father knew he worked here, and now _Seto Kaiba_ was privy to the information. Jou flushed, thinking miserably of what Seto was going to say.

_Might as well get it over with._

"Say, Kaiba?"

"Yes?"

"About, uh, my workin' here, I would, um, appreciate it if you, uh, didn't-"

Seto cut him off, however not unkindly. "You seem to have worked up quite a reputable name for yourself in this business. That's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I'm not ashamed!" Jou said hotly. "Jus- Just some other people jump t'conclusions abou' me when I tell 'em dat I work here, an' I'm sick an' tired of-"

"Katsuya, I'm not jumping to any conclusions. I… do not think that your… preferences are affected by where you choose to work. If you're good at this, and you enjoy it, then you shouldn't have to worry about what other people assume." Seto snapped.

Jou was silent for a moment. Then; "Thanks, Seto."

"Whatever. Get… doing whatever it is you said you were going to do. I can't pretend that I'm excited to have highlights and the rest."

Jou actually managed a grin at that. "Don' worry, it'll look great."

"It had better, or Hatsume may reevaluate her glowing opinion of you. Tell me, Katsuya, do you _always_ kiss the hands of your clients?"

"She ain't my client; you are. Note how I didn' kiss _your _hand, Seto."

"Noted, and appreciated. Anyways, answer the question."

"Yeah. The ladies really love it, and tip like crazy. Now, obviously, I don' go kissin' my male customers, I don' think they'd like it much…"

As he talked on, applying the color and wrapping the tinfoil, Jou realized with a start that he and Seto were on first-name terms.

**End Chapter

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**

Authoress here.

Okay, so it's technically two chapters in _three _days, 'cause it's TWO O CLOCK in the morning. I'm so regretting this when I wake up.

Oh well. Please review. I appreciate it. I mean, I blushed right to my toes when the kind person said they liked the fic so much they believed it to be the best SetoJou fic out there. I 'squee'ed rather delightedly at that, so thank you.

Out and SLEEPING. I wasn't manufactured to be nocturnal.


	6. Head Games

**Changes Made  
Chapter Six: Head Games

* * *

**

Seto stared in complete (but well-hidden) bewilderment at the six or seven school girls that stood in front of him, all in different states of giddy laughter. Their leader (Seto could only assume, she seemed to be the only one with control over speech) stepped foreword, leaning in to give him an eyeful of cleavage that would have made their school's prime dress-code enforcer, the vice principal, wet himself. 

"We just wanted to say, we're big fans of the haircut." **  
**  
Seto decided at that moment to listen when Mokuba warned him about a tick that was developing underneath his left eye. "Excuse me?"

She pointed upwards, giggling like her simpering cohorts. "Your hair- And here was me, thinken' you couldn't get any cuter."

"Here was I," Seto corrected automatically, more for something to say than to actually teach her proper grammar. He gave the semi-empty halls a furtive glance, half-horrified that he was practically alone with a group of girls that were looking at him in a way curiously familiar to the way starved wolves look at raw meat-

-And half counting his blessings that he was practically alone with a group of girls that were looking at him in a way curiously familiar to the way starved wolves look at raw meat. No one, _no one_ would ever witness the day Seto Kaiba was at a loss for words, and he was stepping dangerously close to that very day at that very second. Best to have the least amount of witnesses possible.

"…Thank you?"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth Seto wished he could take them back. Those two simple words, words used a million times a day (in polite cultures, that is) set the group into a gushing, blushing, giggling mess. Yep, the tick was definitely there, below his left eye, twitching madly. Maybe Mokuba was right all along, a vacation was in order.

As Seto was pondering whether Havana would be more relaxing than Sweden, the perpetually late Jou half-ran down the hallway, checking his pace when he saw Seto confronted by the horde of hormonal teenage girls. He made up his mind at once that, however amusing it would be to watch Seto sweat beneath the attentions of the fan girls, Jou would rather get Seto away free so he could ask him about yesterday's math homework, among other things.

"Se- Kaiba!" Jou jogged the next couple steps to the CEO's side. "Hey man, glad I found ya. Your secretary sent y'a note in first hour via d'vice principal, an' it looked kinda important."

Seto knew an escape route when he saw one, especially now when he was desperately in need of one. "Thank you, K- Jounouchi. Excuse me."

With that, Seto wheeled around and fled; the Seto Kaiba definition of 'fleeing' comprised of stalking away at double his normal speed. Somehow he had latched onto Jou's wrist in the process, so the sandy-haired teen was whipped around like a cartoon character before being dragged down the hall towards their shared first-period classroom.

"You deliberately did less of the 'star-athlete' and more of the 'sex-god' when you did my hair, didn't you!" Seto hissed. "I've been getting that reaction from every girl I meet!"

Jou snorted. "Oh, poor guy, getting' hit on by chicks all th' time. I can imagine how'd that'd be tough on ya, man."

"Oh, be quiet." Seto snapped, relinquishing his grip on Jou's wrist, having just noticed he was still holding it. "Bimbos like those hardly qualify as a thrilling experience. They looked ready to eat me."

Jou snorted again, and Seto looked at him. "What's so funny?"

"They're… gonna eatchya… Ha ha…"

Seto looked at him sourly. "You've got a sick mind."

"Yeah, well, guilty as charged. C'mon, we're gonna be late." Jou winked impishly at the taller boy. "Hey, think of it as a tribute t'my talent; when I want a guy t'look fantastic, he looks fantastic."

Seto quirked an eyebrow at the cocky blonde. "You wanted me to look fantastic?"

The master of the double meanings grew bright red, blustering for an answer. He finally settled on "Well, th' lady you came with-"

"My head of advertising," Seto interjected firmly.

"Yeah, her, I did what she told me too." Jou ended lamely.

"Fine. You're off the hook this once."

Their hurried steps carried them to the threshold of their first classroom. Glancing at his watch, Seto noted in satisfaction that even with the delay of the fan girls, they had made it with seconds to spare.

The class was an easy one, a required language class. But by the time the students reached the final years of their high school, English was easily a fluent second language. The sensei had resigned herself to this and hadn't taught the class with the fervor normally applied to school, and as a result, the classroom rules were lax.

No seating chart had been set, but the students all had 'spots' nonetheless. Yuugi, Honda, and Anzu usually sat towards the middle-left-hand side with Jou; whereas Seto normally took the undesirable front desk. He was constantly working on something other than class work, so where he sat was never too big of an issue for him.

Yuugi looked up from Honda's gaming magazine as Jou and Seto entered. "Since when are they friendly outside of tutoring?"

Honda watched the pair through narrowed eyes. "I dunno, but I do know I sure as hell don't like it."

"Relax," Anzu scoffed, flipping her hair. "Jou's probably reciting the quadratic formula in his sleep by now. It won't be long until you can have Jou back twenty-four seven, and then the usual, ridiculous animosity towards Kaiba can resume."

"Yeah," Honda relented. "I s'pose."

Seto made to go to his normal seat, but Jou's hand suddenly caught hold of his shoulder.

"What?"

"Why d'you always sit in the front, not next t' nobody?" Jou's face was molded into a small frown.

"Because, this is the one class I can use my laptop without resorting to blackmail, and I'm too busy working for friends." Seto realized how pathetic his sentence sounded. He really didn't have any friends, outside of Mokuba. He had firmly adhered to the Kaiba family rule: Friends Are Not Necessary. Friends were a hindrance. Only subordinates were allowed.

But subordinates never frowned when you said that you had no friends. Subordinates never got behind you, put their hands on your shoulders, and guided you to an empty seat next to a group of people, as Jou was doing now. Almost forcing the CEO to sit in the empty desk beside his own, Jou leaned over Seto's shoulder and grinned into his face.

"See? Dat wasn't so hard." Jou plopped down next to Seto, smirking like a cat who had managed to snag a particularly fat canary. "Me, Yuug, Honda an' Anzu don't pay attention in this class, either, so y'don't gotta worry abou' distractin' us."

Seto had never been one to feel self-conscious, but if he ever had acknowledged that the feeling existed it would have been right then. Honda was glaring at him as if he were something particularly foul on the bottom of a shoe; Anzu was looking between Seto and Jou with a decidedly odd, calculating expression on her face, and Yuugi was beaming as if Christmas had come early, and why not, Santa was real too.

Jou was talking as if he didn't notice the tension. "- An' you gotta loosen up, man, 'cause I heard stress can kill ya."

"Nice haircut." Anzu broke the silence that stretched uncomfortably after Jou's last comment. "Where'd you get it done?"

Seto took control of his discomfort and banished it. If Jou was willing to bring him over to his friends in an effort to include him, well, Seto wasn't going to insult him by being stand-offish. "Jou, here, did it for me. It's actually a pretty funny story."

With the air of someone unused to small talk, Seto proceeded to tell the entire story to Yuugi and the other two members of his Cheer Squad. Jou interjected on different parts of the story, and soon Seto found words rolling out of his mouth much easier.

"- And once Katsuya had my hair dried, and I was getting ready to leave, one of the other customers recognized me-"

Jou cut in, sniggering. "She just about fell over herself trying to get your autograph."

The corners of Seto's mouth twitched. "Actually, she _did _fall over. I believed she tripped over her purse, which she had dropped seconds earlier."

Yuugi started chuckling, and Anzu vainly tried to suppress a giggle. Even Honda cracked a reluctant smile.

Anzu composed herself, noticing the teacher had stopped her pointless lecture at the front of the room. "My goodness, it's almost time to go already!"

"Whoa." Honda stood up abruptly; ready to bolt from the classroom at the sound of the bell. Seto had the feeling he had wanted to do that for awhile.

"Cool. I'll see y'all later." Jou stood as well and headed towards the door, Seto following suit.

At the bell, Honda paused to wait for Yuugi and Anzu. "Time to eat your words, Anzu. When Jou passes that test, I ain't so sure he'll severe all ties with the Rich Bitch. I mean, did you guys _see_ that? Jou practically dragged him over here!"

"Don't be like that," Yuugi chided. "I've been saying for ages that we ought to be nicer to Kaiba-"

"Kaiba doesn't know what 'nice' means, he wouldn't notice if we _were_ nicer." Honda muttered.

"He seemed okay today." Yuugi reminded him. "He was almost cracking jokes."

"So he's suffering from severe sleep deprivation and it's messed with his brain," Honda said impatiently. "Of he's got cancer from staring at computer screens for too long. Whatever. Kaiba has _never_ liked us, and now he's stealing Jou!"

"He is not _stealing _anybody!" Yuugi sounded slightly irritated at Honda's stubbornness. "So lay off, will you?"

Anzu spoke up, quietly. "Did anybody else notice?"

"Notice what?"

"Kaiba called Jou 'Katsuya,'" Anzu said in the same soft voice.

Honda locked eyes with Yuugi. "_We_ don't even call him that."

The smaller boy shrugged. "We call him Jou as a nickname. I've called him Katsuya before. It's nothing."

Trailing her friends from the classroom, Anzu sighed, speaking to no one. "It may not be."

_

* * *

_

Three classes later, Jou winced as the sensei placed a paper face-down on his desk. The results of the last math test were in, and Jou had never remembered feeling nervous, as he did now.

Tentatively, as if the paper might suddenly develop fangs and try to bite him, Jou slid the paper onto its back. A bright red letter had been written in caps at the top of his test, and it had been circled.

B-plus.

Jou stared. The letter didn't change.

On a pre-calculus test, Katsuya Jounouchi had gotten a B-plus.

His initial reaction was to gape at his test in shock, which he did promptly. The second thing he wanted to do was jump on top of his desk and wave his spectacular grade around like a victory flag. This he did not do, out of respect for classroom rules against desk climbing.

The third thing he felt was (oddly enough) disappointment. Unsure of how to handle this ridiculous feeling, Jou simply ignored it.

Seto, a few rows ahead of him, turned around, an inquisitive look on the usually-stern face. Wordlessly, Jou held up the test so the CEO could read the grade.

A grin slid on to Seto's face, an occurrence Jou was beginning to get used to. The way the afternoon sun lanced through the windows and hit Seto's face only highlighted the expression, making Seto's skin glow. His eyes sparkled, catching the light, and the perfect smile almost glowed.

_Glowed?_ Jou shook himself mentally, responding to Seto's smile with a thumbs'-up. _This test grade is messin' with my head. Seto Kaiba's eyes do not _sparkle_. Mokuba's, maybe, but not Seto's. Anzu's; yeah, Yuugi's, perpetually, but Seto Kaiba? No way in hell._

A surge of disappointment washed into Jou's chest again, and this time he recognized its source. Passing a test meant that the sensei's deal was over. Seto got full credit for taking the class, and Jou passed.

No more tutoring.

_No wonder Seto smiled._ Jou thought sourly. _This means he's rid of me._

A few rows ahead of Jou, Seto absentmindedly played with his pen. So Katsuya passed. He had worked hard; he deserved the grade. Seto could even venture so far as to say he was proud of the blonde. And now; the afternoons were no longer tied up. Seto could stop antagonizing his board members by showing up late; he could resume with picking Mokuba up after school… all sorts of options opened up.

And to think Seto had considered Katsuya… the Mutt… a friend. Friends were unnecessary. Only subordinates allowed.

So why did he still want this… friendship, if he could callit that...to continue?

**End Chapter**

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Authoress here.

Sorry about the long update wait. Finals. There is my reason. Accept it.

Review!


	7. That Was Then

Authoress here

All I can do is apologize for the time gap between chapters. What can I say to defend myself? Life is Hell.

**Changes Made  
Chapter Seven: That Was Then**

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**_One Week Later_

The rain fell steadily on the classroom windows, setting a soft staccato against the glass that lulled nearly everyone to a doze. There had been reports of flooding around the lower end of the county, but up in the main hustle and bustle of Domino City, the constant rain had only served to get taxi companies more business. No one wanted to walk to work in the downpour.

Seto, despite his expansive practice remaining alert in board meetings, was finding himself lethargic. He tried tickling the roof of his mouth with the tip of his tongue to keep himself awake, but to no avail. Blinking fiercely, he wracked his brain trying to remember when this class had become so boring.

"Jounouchi! Where have you been?" The sensei's voice cut sharply through the tedium-induced torpor, and Seto glanced sharply at the door. Jou had appeared at the entrance, looking a little sheepish and as drowned as a gutter-rat.

Jou didn't answer, choosing instead to squelch to his seat. The sensei glared at his back.

"Jounouchi, I have asked you a question. Where were you? Class started forty minutes ago!"

"Was busy." Jou grunted.

"Busy? That's not an acceptable excuse." The sensei fixed Jou with a steely eye. "Truth, now, or you can consider yourself suspended."

Jou heaved a sigh. "Didn't set th'alarm last night. Slept in."

"That's another detention, Jounouchi." The sensei snapped. "I don't understand why you'd be falling back into your old rut again."

The sensei turned back to the board to continue his explanation of asymptotes, and Seto turned slightly in his seat to view the forlorn teenager a few rows back. Jou's face was pointing downward, so the only view of Jou's eyes available was curtained by his long, golden eyelashes.

Seto felt a small stab of guilt. He and Jou had seen little of one another after Jou's successful test, and-

Realization dawned on the CEO, accompanied by an almost equally strong feeling of doubt. Jou wouldn't fail on purpose just to get back to the tutoring sessions….

…Would he?

Once the bell had rung, signaling the end of the day, Seto caught up to Jou as the sandy-haired teen made a break for the door. "Katsuya! Wait up!"

"What's happenen', Seto?"

"Nothing really." Seto hesitated a little before replying. Truth be told, he had a board meeting, two interviews with foreign game magazine people, at least twenty employees to fire, another thirty to interview, and a never-ending pile of paperwork. He justified putting all of this off until later by the sullen look on Jou's face. If they truly were friends, then it was Seto's job to cheer the mutt up. "Care to… have a duel or something?"

Jou stopped and whipped around to stare at the CEO suspiciously. "What?"

"We could stop by a b-burger place, grab something to drink or… Perhaps an arcade?" Seto tried to sound as natural as possible, the effort becoming harder with Jou staring at him as if he had sprouted an extra head.

"Y'mean, go an' hang?"

"Yes." Seto nodded resolutely.

"Don'tchya gotta work?"

The teen drew himself up to his impressive six-foot-two height and tossed his hair in a manner that would have made anyone else look flamingly gay. "I am the CEO. I own sixty percent of all of KaibaCorp stocks; they get to tailor to _my_ schedule."

Jou raised one eyebrow with a faint grin. "Y'mean it?"

"I never say anything I don't mean." Seto said, a with a touch of impatience. "Unless of course you have other plans."

"I only got one client t'day." Jou shrugged, absentmindedly wringing out on shirtsleeve, "an' that'll only take about an hour, just a haircut…. Sure, after dat, sounds like fun!"

"I can pick you up after you're finished at work," Seto said. His mind strayed to the possibility of how stuffed with innuendo that statement would sound if a stranger overhead.

Jou shook his head. "Naw, I'll meetchya somewhere. Got a place in mind?"

"I'm not familiar with hang-outs." Seto looked at the other teen with a raised brow. "Why can't I just swing by and pick you up?"

"'Gotta go home first;" Jou said airily. However light his voice was, Seto caught a flicker of anxiety in the honey-brown eyes.

"Then I'll pick you up at home."

"No!" Jou's answer was almost angry, but he quickly followed it up with a slightly-forced laugh. "Naw, the apartment manager would have a heart-attack if I brought over company."

"…Fine. Name the place, then."

Jou told him the name of a burger place, and Seto agreed to meet him there. Inside, the anxiety in Jou's eyes triggered a different plan altogether.

"Alright, then, around six 'o' clock?" Seto queried, keeping his thoughts hidden for the time being.

"Yeah- aw, shit." Jou's battered knapsack gave up its feeble attempt to hold up Jou's massive dueling-aficionado collection that he carried around. Dueling decks, crudely held together by rubber bands, Jou's duel disk, dueling magazines, and a hair curler clattered to the ground as the knapsack-strap gave way.

Seto knelt hastily to help Jou gather up the contents of his knapsack, noting Jou's frantic movements to get the incriminating hair curler out of the public eye as fast as possible.

"Thanks, man." Jou reached out to take the magazines, but Seto held on to them a fraction of a second, eyes flashing down the various covers. Then, as if it had never happened, he relinquished them, fingertips brushing Jou's hand in the process.

Jou bent his face, stuffing things back inside his knapsack. He was blushing a red that would have put a self-respecting stoplight to shame. Not only had Seto's touch sent a thrill through his body, culminating in his lower stomach, but Seto had seen the magazines.

Jou's favorite dueling magazine, _Hatashiai:Senshuken_, ran two covers for each of its issues. The latest copy had been a cover of a brand-new duel system, and both covers were different photos features none other than Seto Kaiba himself.

Jou knew he was asking for trouble when he had purchased both covers available for the magazine, and even more so when he forgot to take them out of his bag and leave them at home.

Seto didn't act as if he had noticed, but shortly made his excuses and took his leave.

* * *

"That's him." Seto felt slightly ridiculous as he issued a hushed command to his chauffer. Watching Jou saunter out of the salon exchanging cracks with the receptionist from three blocks away, Seto wondered if this was what stalkers did. Brushing the thought from his mind, he watched silently as Jou dodged from awning to awning, saving the roll of newspaper he held under his arm from the ever-steady rain. 

The limousine pulled smoothly away from the sidewalk, following the teen discreetly. Seto briefly entertained the question of why his chauffer was so good at following people until Jou took an unexpected turn down a side street. The blonde had unrolled the newspaper and was holding it over his knapsack, to keep the contents dry.

The slow-motion chase continued into the city's ghetto and welfare housing neighborhood. Children with dirty faces greeted Jou affectionately and exuberantly, and he returned the gestures, ruffling a head of hair, lifting another child into the air with a brilliant grin.

The teen continued his journey, fearlessly walking through the worst part of town. He turned down another side street, and Seto bade his chauffer to wait at the end of the street for his return. He slipped from the backseat, wondering at the lack of rain. Looking up, he saw a criss-cross of ramshackle porches and overhangs that created a relatively dry walkway beneath.

Jou had slipped a pair of battered headphones on, and was walking to the beat, bobbing his head slightly to the tune. Suddenly, to Seto's surprise and personal delight, Jou started to dance. It was nothing too outlandish or wild; just a slow, somewhat graceful stretch of his arms, a cock of his head, a slight tilt of his hips.

Seto watched Jou move to a music only he could hear, a smile claiming his lips. The moment lasted only a moment, though; Jou stopped, slipped the headphones off, and abruptly turned and hurried up a staircase to an old-looking apartment. He opened the door without having to unlock it and came inside. When Seto came closer, he could see that the lock was broken.

Some madness made Seto slip the door open and come inside. He could hear Jou's heavy footsteps on the wooden stairs, as they creaked and groaned at every footfall. Seto hurried upwards, avoiding the middle of the steps and avoiding most noise.

Jou climbed another two staircases, and then finally stopped on a narrow landing. Seto was half-relieved to hear the jangle of keys; at least the individual rooms were locked!

"Heya Pops, I'm h- oh, fuck, Dad!"

At this Seto vaulted up the next few steps so that he was level with the landing. Jou had bolted inside, leaving the front door wide open. A haze of smoke floated out, and Seto saw its source with a thrill of horror. An old man, with heavy scarring over closed eyelids, was sitting with a twist of paper in his mouth. Seto could only surmise that it was some form of joint. But the worst smoke was coming from stacks of paper that were piled haphazardly around the man's feet. One of the stacks had caught fire, and was burning at an alarming rate.

Jou had seized a glass of water and had thrown it onto the paper, and was using an old pillow to beat out the rest of the flames. Once the crisis had been averted, Jou rounded on the old man, presumably his father.

"Wha' tfuck where y'thinkin,' Dad? Y'could have burined the entire fuckin' buildin' down!"

The old man mumbled something that Seto couldn't catch. Jou's voice rose in anger.

"How much?-!"

Another unintelligible mumble.

"Dat's half the savings, Dad! I don' believe ya, Dad, y'said y'were clean, miserable liar! How long have y'been buying this shit?-!"

The old man made to take another drag of his drug, but Jou snatched it from his hand, and flung it to the ground, mashing it into the threadbare carpet with his tennis-shoe.

"Y'wonder why Ma took Serenity and scrammed! Fuck Dad, y'burned y'fuckin' music!"

And at that very point, Jou spun around, and caught Seto's gaze.

**End Chapter**

Authoress here.

So sorry about the wait! Hope this chapter made up for it! Inspiration by the song 'Say Goodnight and Go' by Frou Frou. It's like my theme-song right now…. 'tis kicking! Note: the translation on the magazine title is Dueling: Champion

Cheerio!


	8. Secrets, Secrets

Authoress here.

I am so. Sorry.

I realize it's been about a month or more since I last updated, but seriously, folks, I've been so busy I do believe that I have good excuses.

Anyways, this here chapter does contain some material that makes this ficcie earn its rating. I do believe that none of you will have qualms with that, so I shall carry on with my business and hope that no one flames. Besides, if you hate the story so much, why waste your time by saying mean things? That doesn't do much for the story- it just makes you vindictive.

Without further ado, here it is: the next chapter!

**Changes Made  
Chapter Eight: Secrets, Secrets**

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His footsteps slapped wetly against the cracked and drenched pavement. Jou flew out of the narrow alleyway leading to his apartment building, and into the thick rain. It stung his face, but he ran heedlessly on all the same. Anything to get away from those penetrating blue eyes.

He felt personally violated. True, only his father's privacy had been compromised by Seto's intrusion, but Jou felt sick to his stomach. He had seen that awful emotion- that horrible pity- intermingled by surprise on the young CEO's face, and Jou couldn't bear to see it again.

It wasn't that Jou was ashamed of his father- he had made his fair share of mistakes, like today- but Jou couldn't help feel that Seto wouldn't see past his first impression. An old, blind man setting fire to sheet music after lighting up with an illegal drug was not an impressive first meeting.

And then, Jou thought miserably, Seto would think that _Jou_ needed pity because he had a drug-addict of a father, because he worked at a place where only a queer bastard would dare to go, because he had all of damning weaknesses.

The rain had turned from a warm, pre-summer shower to an icy cold downpour. The cheap side of the city had been blurred into a hulking black hell as Jou ran through it blindly. By now his clothes were soaked, but either he didn't notice or didn't care.

Bright headlights swept through the gloomy sheets of rain as the Kaiba limo sung around the corner. Seto had bolted after Jou, had flung himself into the front seat and was searching the sidewalks for Jou's fleeing figure.

"Stop!"

As the limo skidded to a halt on the wet pavement, Seto leapt from the vehicle and dashed after Jou. Being taller and faster, he caught up quickly and grabbed the smaller man about the shoulders.

"Leave me alone!" Jou screamed, the words ripping painfully from his constricted throat.

"I'm not going anywhere." Seto growled, voice muffled by Jou's hair. "We need to understand each other, or I know I'll never see you again."

"Get OFF!"

"You need to get out of the rain."

"Are y'deaf?-! I said get the hell offa me!"

Without further ado, Seto forcibly twisted one of Jou's arms around behind his back, making him double over in pain. Using the arm as a tool of temperance, Seto forced Jou towards and into the awaiting limo.

Once again wondering why his driver was so compliant, even while on stalking and kidnapping missions, Seto settled into his seat and slammed the door. "To the mansion."

"Yes, Kaiba-sama." The driver doffed his hat in the rearview mirror, and wordlessly put the partition up between driver and passengers, a hint of a grin on his face.

Jou sat sullenly the entire ride to the Kaiba mansion, his silence betrayed only by the frequent sneezes and sniffles. He followed Seto quietly until they reached the main hall of the expansive Kaiba family mansion.

"You friggen' kidnapped- _achoo!_" Jou sneezed violently, interrupting himself. Seto gently took his arm and guided him towards the elevator. One glance from the steel-hard eyes told the servants that any interruption meant expulsion.

Two stories and one hallway later, Jou found himself in a spacious bathroom. One entire wall was a mirror, small hinges and stainless-steel handles the only sign of the many medicine cabinets hidden behind it. A smoked-glass window lined the top of the next wall, skies dark behind the clouded panes. A large hot tub was worked beautifully into the stainless steel décor, and a shower stall matching the smoked windows stood in the corner. There was a small, functional-looking chair in front of the sink, and Seto wordlessly directed Jou to sit.

"I'll have a maid bring you some dry things." Seto selected a cabinet with practiced ease and opened it, drawing out a cylindrical container. This he tossed to Jou, who caught it unconsciously, stifling another sneeze. "Put this on, I'll wait outside."

Jou eyed it warily. "What is dis?"

"Vapor rub."

"Huh?"

"You put it on your upper chest." Seto informed him, one hand on the door handle. "It will clear up your sinuses."

"HUH?"

"Oh, take off your shirt, you moronic mutt." Seto snapped. At Jou's incredulous look, Seto glared at him. "Don't make me do it for you…"

Grumbling and cursing under his breath, perfectly audible to the CEO, Jou stood up and yanked his drenched tee shirt over his head.

Seto Kaiba never blushes. Especially not at a naked man's torso.

Because this was most certainly a fact, the warmth spreading across Seto Kaiba's face was NOT a blush that was NOT inspired by Jou's bare, toned, tanned, water-flecked chest.

Of course not.

And because Seto Kaiba was NOT turned on by a teenage male chest, he found absolutely nothing strange in squirting a generous amount of the vapor run oil on his hands and smoothing it over Jou's upper chest. He performed the same actions whenever Mokuba was congested, but Mokuba was his baby brother, not Katsuya Jounouchi.

Jou stiffened under Seto's hands, making as if to step away but deciding to remain still. "Seto, whatchya doin'?"

Seto continued to spread the oil over Jou's collarbone. "This will make you feel better."

"I don't feel any better." Jou's voice was choked. "An' you're not helpin' at all."

"Katsuya-"

"No!" Jou did take a step back. "You don't get it! It's not fair! Every little weakness I got y'know about! I hate dis!"

Jou's breath was coming quickly, and he glared at Seto through rapidly-filling eyes. The teen CEO felt his heart constrict.

"You've got eveythin', Seto! You don't got no weaknesses! And I hate it when y'pity me!"

In an instant, Seto had pinned Jou's arms to his sides, and had spun Jou around to face the mirror. Over Jou's shoulder, Seto's blue eyes burned into the shining honey-brown ones.

"I have nightmares all the time; I can't sleep more than four hours without them waking me up. I have to get medication so I can even sleep that much at night. My brother and I were abandoned, and our stepfather was a tyrant. I've had six panic attacks in the last year. There have been two attacks on my life, three kidnapping attempts on Mokuba, and I have to have my mail checked for bombs and poison. I hate bananas, I have an awful sweet tooth, my psychiatrist has had to get counseling of his own and-" Seto drew a deep breath- "and I don't like seeing you unhappy. There. My weaknesses. Better?"

Jou stared at Seto in the mirror, one tear over spilling and running down his face.

"Now you look at yourself." Seto instructed, his voice soft yet still compelling. "Your turn to see what I see."

Jou pulled his eyes away from Seto's and locked gazes with his reflection, mind tumbling.

"You've got the confidence of someone who has experienced half of what you've gone through. You bounce back from negative situations better than anyone I know. You're an enigmatic, eclectic man. There are things about you I'll never understand, or know about, and I don't care." Seto drew in another deep breath. "You put up with me, even with all of the shit I give you."

"I-I'm sorry, man; I didn't know."

"No one knows," Seto said softly. "Only Mokuba. And you."

"I didn't mean t'freak out on ya, man." Jou turned slightly in Seto's arms to that thir faces were inches apart.

"I know."

"So… Now what?"

"You tell me."

Jou hesitated. Seto realized he was still holding Jou close and loosened his arms quickly. However he shouldn't have bothered. Jou stayed as he was; his breath hot on Seto's mouth. "I'm gonna do somethin' I think I'm gonna really regret."

Seto could only swallow.

Slowly inch by fraction of an inch, Jou leaned forewords.

The CEO stiffened.

Jou crushed his mouth onto Seto's with fervor unexpected. His entire frame, lean as it was, was pressing onto Seto's with a force that propelled them back until Seto was trapped against the wall. The shorter man made use of his height by wrapped a hand around Seto's neck, pulling his head down for easier excess. Seto's hands flew up and gripped Jou about the sides, pressing his palms into Jou's ribs, holding him fast.

The sudden realization of their actions, combined with the need for air, made the pair pull apart with delicious slowness. The moisture from their lips made the soft skin stick together until the last possible second. There, in that dangerous and alluring pose, Seto whispered roughly; "Did you regret that?"

Brown eyes stared hotly into blue. "No."

**End Chapter**

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Authoress here.

HAH! So… the story thus far has been predictable, cheesy, fluffy, and everything that makes a stereotypical squee-ful tale. I must say- it's kind of fun to write.

But, alas, only one chapter remains. So, until then (can't say when 'then' is, school is still in full-ish swing) I bid thee review.

Authoress gone.


	9. Last Long Walk

Authoress here.

Well, as much as we all love this story, it must come to a close. This is the final chapter of _Changes Made_, and I do hope you all enjoy. Once again, thanks to my awesome reviewers- I wish I could name you all, but fanfiction looks down upon that, and I don't want to risk it. Just know who you are and feel loved/ lubbed by this Authoress. (Ooh, breaking out the Sesshomaru-speak!)

And now, for the final time- Onto the chappie!

**Changes Made  
Chapter Nine: Last Long Walk

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_Six years later_

Fat, angry raindrops burst upon the windshield of the regal Porsche as it sped down the dreary city street. Shielded from the elements inside the car were Seto and Mokuba Kaiba, the former more strict-looking and with slightly longer hair and the later at the peak of puberty, hair gathered into a messy ponytail. Both were dressed in tuxedos of the finest cut and materials, the best money and influence could buy.

Seto drove the expensive machine almost lazily, glaring at the foul conditions outside. He felt exactly as terrible as the weather was, and in some twisted way, was glad it wasn't sunny. The rain reminded him of Jou. That jerk was getting married today, and Seto was supposed to be the best man.

The old ache was back. Seto wished it would leave- he hated vulnerability, especially in himself. Missing Jou wasn't going to help anything. After all, _he_ was the one who had left.

The memories seemed to be farther away than they actually were. It was only six years ago that Seto felt Jou's kiss, for the first and last time. After that, they had been close friends, but never anything more. The immorality of the situation made the pair skirt the issue, coming close but never discussing an actual relationship above that of friends.

Then, as if they had discussed it and made an agreement, Jou and Seto started seeing other people. Jou found Ai, the sweet, country born-and-raised girl the he met through a friend at his cosmetology school. Seto had less luck, going through many women, all fake and greedy as the last. And yet, something still drove him to find a new girl, to try again.

Jou still was his friend, of course. Seto secretly arranged for a community foundation to help Jou's father, and with the help of the dedicated and well-paid service workers, the old man went clean and found a job playing piano in a local jazz nightclub. Jou never actually straight-out asked Seto if the CEO was involved, but he suspected. In return, Seto started getting free haircuts.

Things went along fine, until a business offer came up that Seto couldn't refuse. An international gaming company wanted to make KaibaCorp a permanent fixture in Europe and America. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, or so Seto had thought- So he took Mokuba, and traveled to London, Berlin, New York City and Chicago to oversee the building of four new KaibaCorp research and headquarter facilities.

It took four years, four unbearably long years to finish the projects to Seto's satisfaction. Not only had the buildings been built, but Seto personally oversaw the interview processes for the top fifty positions at all four locations. Then, the promotions, the interviews, and the duels that seemed to have no end followed in a myriad of sleepless nights and stress-filled days.

The final straw came right in the middle of Seto's last stop, Chicago. Jou sent him an email, out of the blue.

_hey man, long time no see, no talk. heard that the new places are doing the biz good. im glad, man! i actually have a reason for this- me and ai have decided to get married. my salon's taking off, i got some celebrities now, so we thought it would be a good time to tie the knot. i feel a little bad asking you this, cause the weddings in a month and a half, and id really like you to be best man._

The best man. Jou wanted _him-_ Seto Kaiba- to be the best man in his wedding. His wedding to someone Seto hardly knew.

Seto didn't know whether he ought to be thrilled or if he ought to punch Jou in the stomach. After all of his failed attempts at dating, Seto finally had accepted what had been true all along- he didn't want anyone, he wanted Jou. Who was now asking him to be his best fucking man at his wedding? It was almost too much to handle.

Mokuba, who knew the basic gist of his elder brother's feelings, had advised that Seto politely decline, giving the excuse that his work needed him too much. "Don't do this to yourself," Mokuba had warned. "You'll only hurt yourself if you go see Jou."

The next morning, Seto had his flight booked back for Japan.

So here he was. The rehearsal dinner, the bachelor party, and all the other final man-to-man moments before Jou accepted the ball and chain Seto had purposely missed. His plane came in the night before the wedding, and Seto refused to speak directly to Jou. He replied solely in emails, relying on the impersonality of the Internet to protect his emotions.

And now he was driving to Jou's wedding to some woman. Seto cursed quietly under his breath, and Mokuba looked at him. "Sorry, Big Brother."

"Don't apologize, Mokuba." Seto allowed his voice to soften slightly. "It's not your fault."

"Yes, Big Brother." The dark-haired teen looked sideways at him. "It's not too early to back out. I'm sure Honda can fill in. Or, I think that Ai woman has a brother."

"That's bad manners to not uphold commitments, Mokuba."

"It's worse manners to deck the bride," Mokuba retorted.

"Don't talk back."

"Sorry." Mokuba sat back in his seat, staring silently out at the dull city rushing past. "Why did you two never hook up?"

"Not now, Mokuba." Seto gripped the steering wheel, willing himself not to snap at his little brother.

There. The church loomed out of the gloomy mist, as well as multiple cars. The sidewalks were dotted with umbrellas, well-dressed people hurrying towards the great oaken doors.

Seto screeched into the parking lot, slamming on the breaks so the Porsche went sideways. The car slid to a halt, taking up the better part of two parking spaces. Mokuba, unruffled by the half-suicidal driving skills of his older brother, calmly got out and waited under a strict-looking black umbrella for Seto to exit as well. Together, they entered the rapidly-filling church.

Seto noticed that both the bride and groom's sides of the church were already quite packed. Laughter and happy faces were everywhere around him, and Seto gently pushed Mokuba in the direction of the groom's side. The dark-haired teen started toward a tall, brunette woman that Seto recognized with a start as Anzu. Ducking away from the crowd, Seto found the door that had a small "Groom's Room" sign on the handle. He knocked once, mouth dry.

"Just a sec!"

The familiar voice had changed, but just a little. The cultured, accent-free voice Jou used around the salon had begun to replace Jou's normal, careless tones. Seto felt a pang in his chest.

"Okay, c'mon in!"

Jou looked up from buttoning his cuffs to see the dark shape of Seto in the doorway. His face registered complete surprised joy, and he walked over to fling his arms around the CEO.

Seto returned the hug fiercely, surprised at how glad he was to see Jou, despite the circumstances. The twenty-four year old version of Jou was even more appealing than the teenaged one. The sandy blonde hair had been tamed for the special even, styled neatly. A few rebellious strands still fell in Jou's honey-brown eyes, of which Seto was glad to see hadn't lost their spark. The man stood strong and well-built, as fit as ever, but no longer lanky and awkward.

"Missed you, man." Jou mumbled into Seto's shoulder.

"I missed you as well, Mutt." Seto managed to reply, voice gruff. Jou looked up with a grin, releasing the CEO.

"Now there's one I haven't heard in awhile!" His grin faded a little, and he rubbed his palms on his pant legs nervously. "Whaddyou think? Me, and Ai, getting married?"

"I don't like it." Once the words were out Seto almost clasped a hand to his lips. He hadn't meant to say that aloud.

"What?" Jou took a step back. "You don't like it?"

_Might as well keep going, got my foot in my mouth anyways._

"You heard me." Seto swallowed with difficulty. "It's fine you're getting married, just not to Ai."

"What the hell is wrong with Ai?" Jou demanded. Seto wondered for a moment if he was screwing everything up, but brushed the thought away. _Too late to stop._

"Not Ai." Seto said softly. "Anyone… Anyone but…"

"Who?" Jou's voice was equally soft.

"Me. I should have never gone away. I should have never let you get away from me. Hell, I should have never let you leave my house after we-"

Jou interrupted, face curiously devoid of emotion. "You're telling me this now?"

"I-"

"In fifteen minutes, I'm going to walk up that isle, stand and wait for my fiancé to join me, and we're going to get married, and you tell me _now_ that you-"

"That I love you?" Seto broke in, angrily. "Yes, I'm telling you now, because this is what it took to get me to realize just how _much _I love you. I almost had to lose you, but now I'm here, now I'm telling you. And now it's up to you."

"Up to _me?_" Jou hissed, looking torn between anger and pain. "I already asked someone to spend their life with me, and you expect me to-"

"I expect nothing but the truth." Seto snapped, the years of board meetings bringing a commanding bite into his tone. "In fifteen minutes, Jounouchi, I will be standing next to you, waiting for you to receive your bride. I will cause you no trouble, and I will act my role." Seto gave a mirthless chuckle. "You should see the best man's speech I had my secretary whip up. I thought she'd be thebest at it- I was hardly in the right frame of mind. It's good; she's quite the romantic."

"Seto-"

"After the reception, I'm flying back to Chicago. That is, if you don't want me here." Seto tugged on his lapel, straightening it. "I'll disappear, and you won't have to remember that this conversation ever happened. Your choice."

Jou sat quietly, not meeting Seto's eyes. The CEO turned, and left the room.

* * *

The music came to a crescendo, and all eyes turned to the doors. A toddler stumbled onto the white lace carpet, holding a small pillow with two silver rings. A second child followed, flinging flower petals in a picture of perfect serenity. The crowd oohed and ahhed as if on cue. 

Then Seto strode forwards, Ai's younger sister on his arm, looking resplendent in a deep wine-colored gown. He had an unreadable expression on his face; he could have been extremely angry or serenely happy. They were followed by Ai's older brother and Serenity, and then Yuugi with Anzu and Honda with one of Ai's friends. And then Jou walked forward, with his fair-haired mother on his arm.

Seto didn't look into the other man's eyes; he was afraid he might forget his promise and make a scene. However, Seto Kaiba didn't make scenes, so he just looked at his shoes.

He could feel Jou's eyes on him, though.

The organist changed thekey, and everyone stood. There in the doorway stood Ai, flanked by her smiling and tearful parents.

Seto saw Jou shift in his peripheral vision.

Ai started forward.

Jou shifted again.

The music swelled.

"Stop!"

Everyone in the church did a double take, so no one noticed Seto's.

Jou was panting heavily, looking bewildered and determined all at once. "I'm sorry, Ai, I just- just can't-" Dropping into a mumble, Jou half-turned and darted out of the chapel through a side door.

Seto masked his elated grin, and made motions to Yuugi, Anzu, and Honda, all of whom had started after Jou, to stay put. He turned on his heel and ran after Jou amid the buzz of the congregation.

The blonde hadn't gotten far. Only a corridor and two staircases down away, Jou had pressed his back to the wall, and was sobbing unabashedly. Seto approached him quietly.

"I'll bet you're pleased w'chyself."

Ah. The accent was back.

"Jou-"

"I probably jus' broke Ai's heart," Jou roughly passed his palm across his face. "I'm a bastard."

"That makes two of us." Seto said, keeping his voice quiet.

"She always used t'ask if I ever had anyone else, an' I always told her no." Jou was speaking into his hand now, eyes bleak. "So now I left her at t'friggen' alter an' I lied t'her face."

"Jou-"

"Seto, shut t'fuck up." Jou didn't even turn to glare at the CEO. "It's all your fuckin' fault."

"You're probably right."

"She'll hate me."

"True."

"Everyone will think I'm some kinda fucken' sonofa bitch."

"Maybe not everyone."

Jou did look at him at that. "Okay, everyone but you, Yuug, Honda and Anzu. An' they probably got their doubts."

Seto let his voice grow a little. "What's the point?"

"Damn good thing I think y'might be worth it."

Before Seto could respond, he was pinned to the wall and Jou was drinking his lips in hungrily, pressing himself as close as possible to the other man. Seto, after a split second of shock, returned the favor by allowing Jou's questing tongue to enter his mouth. He wrapped his arms around the smaller man, feeling more at peace than he had in years.

"Why'd y'let me leave that night?" Jou whispered, breath hot on Seto's mouth.

"Why did you let me let you leave?"

"Bastard, putting the blame on somebody else."

Seto smiled, drawing the young man close to him. "Shut up. It's very hard to kiss a person who won't stop babbling."

While the church was in uproar, the bride-to-not-be in tears, and Jou's best friends in complete bewilderment, Jou and Seto found that every once and awhile, changes need to be made.

**The End**

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Yay! Happiness at the end of a story is a good thing! Hope you all enjoyed the story, thanks for those who read, and for those who reviewed.

Yours in fanfiction,

**The Authoress, PenPusherM**


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